Cast Away Alternate Storyline
by bells288925
Summary: Chuck's adventures vary; he does not build a raft.


This is an alternate storyline from the point right before Chuck decides to build a raft:

Chuck awakens to the sound of birds chirping and the blistering hot sun in his eyes. It's roughly noon on the island.

"Damn, I've overslept again. Wilson! Why didn't you wake me?!"

He chalks in a tally mark on the wall of the cave. There are too many marks to count. Chuck stretches his arms and legs, and prepares breakfast: a cooked bird's egg from atop the tree adjacent to his cave.

As he eats his breakfast, Chuck ponders his life, everything he's done, everywhere he's been. His mind drifts away as he recalls cheerful memories of him and his wife.

This goes on for a few minutes, until Chuck snaps back to reality, where he knows there are no cheerful moments, only him and Wilson alone on this God forsaken island.

"Wilson, there's no point. Why do I torture myself? Help will never come…."

Right at that moment, Chuck hears the buzzing sound of a biplane flying overhead! Astonished and completely unprepared, he grabs his now dead flashlight and races to the beach. Using the flashlight's glass as a reflector, he flashes light upon the craft several times, for he can spot the glare off the red wings.

"Come on, come on. You know you saw me, just turn around!!!!!!" He yells.

The biplane suddenly changes directions, veering sharply back the way it came!

"He saw me! Help is coming! Yes!"

Through the cloudless skies, Chuck watches as the plane heads back west, disappearing into the horizon. Angry, Chuck picks up an unopened FedEx box and throws it against a tree. He then storms off and grabs a fishing pole so that he can calm down by catching some dinner.

"I hope that plane comes back before I have to eat another fish." He mumbles.

Unbeknown to Chuck, the biplane was actually out of fuel and had to turn around. However, because of his frustration, his unopened box started making static noise. It was a radio! As Chuck fishes away, the plane radios in to say that it is out of fuel and returning home, but that the pilot thought he saw a glare from the ground on an abandoned island.

Night falls.

The radio's static continues to stream through the air. Chuck, now heading back towards the camp, stops to hear a noise.

"Wilson! What is that noise? Do you hear that?! It almost sounds like……it's a radio! Come on!"

He grabs the radio, ripping the box open in the process. The radio falls to the ground, luckily not breaking!

"It's a miracle!"

As Chuck changes the channels, he picks up a transmission from a U.S. Naval Cruiser.

"This is the U.S.S. Cleopatra, come in."

"Hello?! This is Chuck, I'm marooned on an island and have little supplies. Please help me!"

"Chuck, this is Captain Lawrence of the U.S.S. Cleopatra, hold on while we dial in your location."

"Thank you!"

As the Cleopatra's satellites pinpoint Chuck's location, he drops to his knees.

"Finally. I've been on this island too long Wilson. It's going to be good to go home. I want to, no, I need to see my wife, my family. Wilson. This is the end of our struggles. We are once again citizens of the civilized world. This is all I could've asked for."

"Chuck, this is Captain Lawrence. We have a SEAL team in the area, they'll be coming by shortly to pick you up. Do you copy?"

"Yes, yes sir! How long will it be?"

"ETA is 3 minutes. They are on the island and actively looking for you. We're bringing you home."

"They're here! I see them! Thank you!"

Chuck is rushed back to the U.S.S. Cleopatra, where he is given a bed and new clothes. Although it is the butt of every joke on the ship, Captain Lawrence agreed to allow Wilson aboard also.

Days pass.

"Chuck, we're making port in San Diego. Time for you to get off this ship and back to your family," says one of the Seamen.

"Thank you so much. I'll be ready."

Chuck gets out of bed, puts on his clothes, and heads towards the door, anxiously awaiting his departure. The doors open and the bridges connect to the dock. Chuck is the first one off the ship, for he sees his wife waiting for him. She is in tears.

He rushes towards her, throwing his arms around her and picking her up off her feet. He's missed her dearly. They head off to the taxi, where she tells him how long she's awaited his return and how much she cares for him. It is truly a happy ending.

….However, the story doesn't end. You see, Chuck was in such a hurry to get off the ship, he left Wilson behind. Wilson, still sitting on Chuck's bed on the Cleopatra, is found by one of the privates cleaning out the rooms. There, he decides to take Wilson to Captain Lawrence. After all, the good captain did help rescue Chuck. Captain Lawrence then and there has the following words to say:

"A survivor, a loner, a shipwrecked man shall always carry a companion in his heart. They do not teach this in the schools, they do not encourage it after childhood, but every man that has ever felt alone has had a friend to carry him through the hard times. Men, let this be a lesson to you all. The situation may change, the circumstances be altered, or the peril be greater, all men have their companions deep inside them. Every man has a friend. It's what keeps us sane, what keeps us going."

The captain stares towards the bow of the ship.

"Private, take Wilson to the bow of the ship, bound him to the railing, and let it be known that Wilson is a companion, a fellow sailor upon this vessel, and a friend to which all men can relate."


End file.
